Chapter 38: Official Disciples!

Chapter 38: Official Disciples! Even far beyond the fog, behind the mystic mountain of outer sect elders and their disciples, in a place straight out of a mystical book. Floating islands, waterfalls in the sky, weapon spirits decorating the realm, and vivid spiritual energy visible to the naked eye. And in the center of it all, a mountain grander than Mount Tai, with a golden luster, its peak almost gracing the stars, as this was the very Spirit Mountain this sect was built around. On the ground, if one looked well enough, their eyes would land on a white, shiny body snaking around the entire place, while in some places it disappears in water, and then its body goes on to roll around the spirit mountain for the might of its sleeping dragon face to meet one’s eyes directly. *Vrrm* There and then, the majestic white dragon opened its eyes, its otherworldly perception catching something talking about it. But upon seeing nothing, it closed its eyes again. This, and many hidden things, was what the Spirit Mountain Sect gained its reputation with. Now back to one of the great floating islands in the sky, the ones resting on formations painted by some kind of genius, as they stuck right in the air and drew from the limitless reserves of pure spiritual energy to enrich themselves and evolve, in turn making the floating islands grow with time. On top of one of them, right in the middle, a table of chess was set for two individuals with golden eyes to play on. Each move took a day to make, and every decision changed the entire flow of the game as their minds calculated every single possibility. Such games require you to take much less time on several occasions, mainly at the start of the game and at its end. But, this wasn’t just any normal game; each and every piece was like a carved spirit, their golden bodies shining with fervor. The official disciples who were looking at them with their calculating eyes seemed as if they were gazing at something far more than just a table game. It was as if... They were controlling the fate of nations with every move. *Fwshhh* One of them made a move, wind traversed with it, as he took hold of a warrior-carved spirit, a piece that should have been the pawn, as instead of moving in any other direction, it took a simple step forward, coming face to face with another pawn, as golden brilliance shone from the table with even more intensity. And before the light even dissolved, the pawns disappeared from their place, only for the opponent’s pawn to reappear a moment later. "As expected of you, older brother, your warriors are more experienced than mine." The one who had just made the move spoke. "I’m afraid that wouldn’t be for long... Your vision is... abnormal, if I do say so myself." The opposing disciple, the supposed older brother, squinted his golden eyes as they turned to a blood red color, their original look. "What is it?" The man suddenly looked forward, his eyes landing on something regular sight could never catch. This was long-distance communication, something that usually happened between Foundation Establishment realm individuals with their precise control over spiritual energy. For a moment, the older brother remained silent, his ash-grey hair rolled with the wind, and his robe, which almost had nothing to do with what normal disciples of the Spirit Mountain sect wore, stood out. It was luxurious but more casual wear, which hinted at the fact that official disciples didn’t have to be very formal within the sect. The junior brother, on the other hand, still had his golden eyes on, as for some strange reason, that was his natural eye color, but his hair was white, and unlike his older brother, he wore a blue robe, for his batch, with a black dragon decor around it, which signified his standing as an official disciple. The difference between core and official disciples was that core disciples were either geniuses with ridiculous achievements or strong enough to possibly contend with foundation establishment realm individuals while not being ones themselves. Any inner disciple who met the criteria could take the test to become a core disciple, but almost every core disciple was a student under an elder. Those who were under the tutelage of outer sect elders remained core disciples, while those who were under the tutelage of inner sect elders... They were the official disciples whose strength never failed to be below the foundation establishment realm. "Interesting." For a split second, the serious face of the older brother smiled. Looking at the agitated aura of his junior brother, even with the stoic face, the older brother, who could see beyond mortal limits, spoke. "There’s a new disciple who has achieved an S-rank rating." He said. 3 seconds passed before the junior looked up to face his older brother, who was already checking for information regarding Ken. "Is that so?" He replied and then stood silent for a moment. "The last time someone did, we didn’t really pay too much attention, but it turns out, he would have been worth the trouble." He added. "Indeed." The older brother looked intently at the record brought by the tower spirit. "Show me the recording directly." Once he gazed at the base information, he called out, not bothering with the rating. The tower spirit brought out a record of Ken’s test and official run, and the senior opened the test run first. And for the next 30 minutes, the official disciples watched a speed run of Ken’s first trial. "..." For an additional 5 minutes, none of them spoke. "Is this really just S-rank?" The junior said. "Tower spirit, show his information again." The official disciple commanded, and the tower spirit acted. And for a second time, the duo remained silent. "As I thought, such a performance is far beyond what an S-rank should be..." The senior said. Both of their faces remained stoic the entire time, which spoke of their control, but the older disciple could clearly feel his agitation as well as the shock experienced by his junior. All of that couldn’t escape his sight. There were more than a few traits that Ken displayed that caught their eyes. And all in all, they knew that they couldn’t miss this disciple the same way they did with the previous one, if not as a lackey, then possibly as a new apprentice for their master. ------End------